The Sunday Philosophy Club series

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The Sunday Philosophy Club is a series of novels and novellas by Alexander McCall Smith. It is also the name of the first novel in the series, and an informal talking group founded by the main character Isabel Dalhousie. The series is set in Edinburgh.

Contents

The title of the first book and of the series was suggested by McCall Smith's editor. [1]

Books

Novels

The series includes:

  1. The Sunday Philosophy Club (2004)
  2. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (2005)
  3. The Right Attitude to Rain (2006)
  4. The Careful Use of Compliments (2007)
  5. The Comfort of Saturdays (2008); U.S. title: The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday
  6. The Lost Art of Gratitude (2009)
  7. The Charming Quirks of Others (2010)
  8. The Forgotten Affairs of Youth (2011)
  9. The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds (2012)
  10. The Novel Habits of Happiness (2015)
  11. A Distant View of Everything (2017)
  12. The Quiet Side of Passion (2018)
  13. The Geometry of Holding Hands (2020)
  14. The Sweet Remnants of Summer (2022)

Novellas

There are also three novellas, published only as ebooks: [2]

  1. The Perils of Morning Coffee (2011)
  2. At the Reunion Buffet (2015)
  3. Sweet, Thoughtful Valentine (2016)

Characters

Major and recurring characters

Minor characters

Setting

The Sunday Philosophy Club marked a departure from the gentle Botswana setting of McCall Smith's previous series: in an interview in May 2004, McCall Smith said, "I’m enjoying it immensely, writing about a different milieu." [5] The series was set in Edinburgh because McCall Smith "wanted to write something about Scotland " and finds Edinburgh "a very interesting and intriguing city." [6] The series tries to reflect the Edinburgh people, who are "vivid agreeable people just waiting to have a novel written about them." [7] McCall Smith has lived in Edinburgh since 1984.

Particular comparisons have been made between McCall's Edinburgh and the version of the city that appears in Ian Rankin’s books. McCall Smith notes that his books are "certainly a bit different from the very realistic fiction that comes from Edinburgh" but believes that both styles equally reflect the nature of Edinburgh and Scotland: "I would say that a city’s literary nature needn’t be carved in stone. One doesn’t need to accept that there is just one sort of literature or one formula for the Scottish novel." [8]

Style

In comparison to The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, the Sunday Philosophy Club series is "a little bit more tilted in the mystery direction." [5] Nonetheless, it is a detective novel "only in a rather quirky, incidental way." [3] More importantly, the series is character- rather than plot-driven. [3]

Time Out’s website describes the main character Isabel thus: "If you combine the nosey interfering of Austen’s Emma with the relentless self-analysis of Carrie Bradshaw you have a fair idea of the protagonist." [9] The books are mostly narrated through Isabel's eyes from a limited third-person viewpoint.

McCall Smith himself calls the series "a little more focused" than The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, with "a different register." Nonetheless, he believes that Precious Ramotswe and Isabel would get along: "[Mma Ramotswe] would respect [Isabel] but she would probably tell her to relax a bit, drink a bit more tea, and sit out under a tree to chew the fat a bit more." [8] The repeated presence of a female protagonist who tries to do the right thing demonstrates McCall Smith's "underlying sympathy for women and fundamental generosity of spirit." [10]

Themes and issues

The series deals widely with "everyday moral and philosophical conundrums" [11] through Isabel's work as the editor of a philosophical journal. McCall Smith notes: "We can't necessarily answer the great questions about meaning – Camus talks about this, that you can't answer the question of what is the meaning of life, but you can find meaning in a limited context, and work toward that." [11]

A key element is the notion that simplicity and kindness are important aspects of life: "Kindness needn't be dull ... it can also be elevating and moving." [11] Commenting on the lack of villains in his ‘mystery’ stories, McCall Smith explains: "I don't do baddies very well." [12] Ultimately, the books examine "the fundamental question of how we can lead a good and satisfying life." [13]

The series frequently makes references to works of literature from Scotland and elsewhere. Often-mentioned is W. H. Auden, McCall Smith's favourite poet, [14] whose "marvellously humane" poetry is "a constant inspiration". [15]

Jamie, Isabel's love interest, has been given McCall Smith's favourite name. [14]

The Really Terrible Orchestra, of which the author is a founding member, [5] appears in this book.

Philosopher Julian Baggini also appears in two novels in the series. [16]

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The Right Attitude to Rain is the third of the Sunday Philosophy Club series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith, set in Edinburgh, Scotland, and featuring the protagonist Isabel Dalhousie. It was first published in 2006, and is the sequel to Friends, Lovers, Chocolate.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander McCall Smith bibliography</span>

The bibliography of Alexander McCall Smith, a Scottish legal scholar and author of fiction. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia and was formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an expert on medical law and bioethics and served on related British and international committees. He has since become known as a fiction writer, with sales in English exceeding 40 million by 2010 and translations into 46 languages.

References

  1. ↑ "The possibilities of happiness" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  2. ↑ "Isabel Dalhousie / The Sunday Philosophy Club Series Archives - Alexander McCall Smith". Alexander McCall Smith. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind: The Idiosyncratic Interview: Alexander McCall Smith". Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  4. 1 2 McCall Smith, Alexander (September 2006). The Right Attitude to Rain . Abacus. ISBN   0-375-42300-1.
  5. 1 2 3 "Red Bush Tea with Alexander McCall Smith". Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  6. ↑ "Abebooks: Exclusive Abebooks interview with Alexander McCall Smith". Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  7. ↑ "Edinburgh - the Jewel in Scotland's Crown" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  8. 1 2 "In the Company of the Cheerful Author: An Interview with Alexander McCall Smith". Archived from the original on 20 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "Alexander McCall Smith - The Right Attitude to Rain - Books & Poetry - Book Review - Time Out London". Archived from the original on 2 December 2008.
  10. ↑ Thompson, Bob (29 November 2005). "The Heart Of Lightness". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 Lyall, Sarah (6 October 2004). "A Writer's Journey: Botswana to Boswell Territory". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  12. ↑ Davidson, Max (11 September 2008). "Alexander McCall Smith: from Botswana to Corduroy Mansions, Pimlico". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  13. ↑ "Rocky Mountain News".
  14. 1 2 "The Write Company | Alexander McCall Smith". Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  15. ↑ "Church Times - Interview: Alexander McCall Smith, author, and CBE in the New Year Honours". Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  16. ↑ Mesure, Susie (February 2014). "Julian Baggini: Eat, think, and be merry - the ethics of food" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
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